Artists: Kyle Armstrong, Patricio Guzmán, Sarah Vanagt and Katrien Vermeir
Curator: Gawan Fagard

The Wave
Sarah Vanagt & Katrien Vermeire
Belgium, 2012. HD Video. 10 min
OV Spanish, ST English

Gawan Fagard in dialogue with Sarah Vanagt

In The Wave the archaeological gaze of the viewer is set in motion: a mass grave from the Spanish Civil War (1936–39) opens and closes itself. The filmmakers placed a camera above the spot where Franco’s supporters buried nine victims after their execution in June 1939. On day one of the excavation, a digging crane gently loosened the top layer of soil, until the archaeologists came across a skull with a bullet hole. Then the archaeologists continued their work by hand. The skeletons appeared, then disappeared, as if a strong wind blew that removed the sand and uncovered death, a primal truth.

Magnetic Reconnection
Kyle Armstrong
Canada, 2012. HD Video. 12 min.
OV English

Magnetic Reconnection is a short documentary film contrasting the Northern Lights with decaying manmade debris surrounding the Arctic Canadian town of Churchill, Manitoba. The film touches on the regenerative power of nature and the futility of mankind’s struggle against natural processes of decay. The film features an original score by Jim O'Rourke, a voice-over by Will Oldham and some of the best footage of the aurora borealis ever captured.

Nostalgia de la luz (Nostalgia for the Light)
Patricio Guzmán
France, Germany, Chile, Spain, USA, 2010. 35 mm. 90 min.
OV Spanish and English, ST English

Patricio Guzmán's Nostalgia for the Light is a remarkable meditation on memory, history and eternity. Chile’s remote Atacama Desert, 10,000 feet above sea level, provides stunningly clear views of the heavens. But it also holds secrets from the past in its arid soil: human remains, from pre-Columbian mummies to the bones of political prisoners “disappeared” during the Pinochet dictatorship. In this otherworldly place, earthly and celestial quests meld: Archaeologists dig for ancient civilizations, women search for their loved ones and astronomers scan the skies for new galaxies.

Language English